1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for the detection of analytes in a fluid. More particularly, the invention relates to the development of a sensor array system capable of discriminating mixtures of cardiovascular risk factor analytes for the prediction of coronary heart disease.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in developed countries. In the United States alone, more than half a million people die each year from sudden cardiac arrest or from the consequences of chronic heart disease. The etiology of this common and often fatal disease is complex and multi-factorial. Current screening and management strategies for the prevention of CHD target some of the plasma-based factors as predictors of cardiovascular risk. The typical analytical methods used for their measurement, however, are rather inefficient. These tests typically require long assay times, sophisticated instrumentation and significant amounts of expensive reagents. Furthermore, these analytical methods are generally limited to measuring just one analyte at a time. A more efficient, rapid and inexpensive analytical system that targets numerous risk factors concurrently and one that may be customized for specific clinical settings would likely allow for a comprehensive and, thus, more reliable risk assessment for CH). Therefore, the development of such a system could have a profound influence on the treatment and prevention of this important disease.
Indeed, the areas of multianalyte immunoassays and immunosensors recently have become the focus of active research aiming for the use of smaller sample volumes, shorter assay times, simpler assay protocols, reduced cost per test and larger information acquisition. For example, multianalyte array methods based both on dye labels and spatial resolution have been reported. These array themes, however, have yet to be employed specifically to the cardiac theme.